Silver and Gold
by linksofmemories
Summary: Every year he would trek back to that cabin. Every year he would watch her grow. Every year he would fall a bit too far.
1. Breakable

**This little story idea just wandered into my head and refused to leave until I wrote it. So, enjoy!**

**And we are so fragile,  
And our cracking bones make noise.  
And we are just,  
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.**

**- Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson**

* * *

_It was mid-Autumn when he saved her life and for that she would be forever grateful._

The town was dirty was the first thought Ginko had as he walked through the main entrance. Run-down and overtaken with poverty, a good meal was obviously out of sight. Continuing down the main road, he took a deep drag of his cigar.

It was midday and most of the shops were already closed, either that or just out of business completely. This town was hell on Earth. Maybe if he looked around long enough he would be able to find a place to sleep for the night, but the more he progressed through the town the more this idea seemed improbable.

He still had time. He would ask directions for the closest town or village and see if he could make it there before dark. Even though seeing in the dark wasn't exactly a problem for him.

Asking someone though seemed out of the question since everyone cowered around him or ran inside to their badly kept shacks. Outsiders apparently weren't welcome. About to give up, Ginko turned a corner to see an absolutely disgusting sight.

In a line stood five little girls, none of them looked over the age of ten, all dressed in rags with dirt smeared across their faces. A stern looking middle-aged man was standing a ways away from them keeping his eyes trained on two elderly men who were looking intently at a girl with cropped dark hair.

Ginko's first instinct was to keep walking, it wasn't any of his business, but when one of the elderly men groped the young girl's bottom in his filthy hand all he could see was red. Taking the cigar out of his mouth, he smeared it on the sole of his shoe and threw it to the ground.

Strolling over casually, Ginko observed each girl. There was no way he could save them all. He was only one man after all. There was the girl with the dark cropped hair, another with tan skin and tears in her eyes, one had long hair and carried a bit of seniority amongst the other girls, a look of complete lose and defeat was etched across one girl's features, and then there was the last one.

She had golden hair and liquid amber colored eyes, perfectly pink lips and cherry stained cheeks, tears streaming freely from her eyes and clenched fists. That was her. He would save her life and feel guilty about not saving the others for the rest of his life.

Reaching the girls, he kept a safe distance from each one and pretended to look over them one by one. Once he reached the girl with golden hair he looked at the middle-aged man, the seller he assumed, and jerked a thumb in her direction.

"How much for her?" Ginko asked, feeling like scum as the words tumbled off his lips.

"Not for sale, you're welcome to the others though," the seller stated.

"Why not?" Ginko pressed. "Has she already been toyed with?"

"No, she's reserved," the seller said. "Unless you can double the price."

Taking a risk, Ginko slid his pack off of his shoulders and opened it up. He took his money sack and tossed it to the seller. The seller caught it, opened it, and rifled through the coins. His eyes widened and he pocketed the money.

"She's all yours," he said.

"Excellent," Ginko smirked, grabbed the young girl's forearm and dragging her away from the other four girls.

She didn't start fighting him until they were out of sight.

"No!" she cried in a voice that sounded equivalent to wind chimes and birdsong. "Please. Don't do this."

Attempting to free herself from his grasp was useless as he steered her out of the town and towards the surrounding forest. He had to give her credit as she dug her bare feet into the dirt and clawed into his arm. Once out of earshot, but still in the shallow region of the forest, he stopped walking and looked at her.

"I'm not going to do anything to you except take you somewhere safe," Ginko said sharply.

She stopped fighting but gave him a wary look. "I-I don't believe you."

"On my way here I came across a forgotten cabin in the forest," he said. "Only one room, but it's only a half hour walk to the village I was at before yours. You'll be safe there."

"You're going to save me?" she asked meekly. "Really?"

"I think I already have," Ginko said, releasing her arm and giving an inward sigh of relief when she didn't make a run for it.

If she was an older girl with more experience she probably would have come up with the highly probable idea of him playing nice just so he could corner her, but thankfully she wasn't. That would have been too much work for him.

They walked in silence through the forest. The girl trailed a bit behind him as they traveled.

"Today's my birthday," she said suddenly.

"How old are you?" Ginko asked, looking back at her.

"Nine," the girl said.

A sudden urge to run back to that filthy town and kill that damn seller rose within Ginko's being, but he restrained himself and continued to trek on.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ginko," he replied. "And yours?

"I don't know," she admitted. "Mama and Papa never gave me one. They were killed before they could."

The fact that a nine year-old girl could say the word "kill" so easily made his insides churn in disgust.

"Sorry," he managed.

Silence overcame them once again but curiosity overtook him as he continued to glance at her golden hair.

"Was one of your parents a foreigner?" Ginko asked. "Your golden hair is quite beautiful."

"No," she shook her head. "Mama and Papa both had dark hair. I was born with dark hair too until I fell into the pond."

Now he was very curious.

"Your hair turned that color after you fell into a pond?" Ginko inquired. "That's a little hard to believe."

"But it's true!" she exclaimed.

Her sudden brashness surprised him, but he still managed to chuckle to himself. She was a lively one.

"I was living with Gran-Gran when I fell in the pond when she was taking a nap," the girl explained, flailing her arms every which way. "We had such a pretty golden fish in there. I couldn't breathe and my head got all foggy. The next thing I remember is waking up next to the pond with my hair all golden. My eyes look different too. The fish that was in the pond died though."

To Ginko it didn't sound like a fish, but more like a Mushi. A Mushi that had given her life when she was on the verge of losing hers. The story reminded him of his own story of how he had lost his eye and his memories. Maybe that was why he had become so taken with her back at the town.

"You don't believe me," she said, taking his long silence as disbelief.

"I do," Ginko said simply. "Say, do you mind if I give you a birthday present?"

He could tell just by looking at her widened amber eyes and gaping mouth that she didn't mind at all.

"Kingyo," Ginko stated. "Do you mind if I name you Kingyo?"

"Really?" she asked. "You want to give me a name?"

"Yeah," he said, a smile creeping involuntarily on to his lips. "Do you like it?"

He took her frantic nodding as a yes.

"What's it mean?" Kingyo asked, now walking by his side, her tiny hand fisting his pant leg.

"Goldfish," he informed. "It suits you, I think."

"Me too," she gushed. "I think… I think this is the best birthday I've ever had."

It wasn't long until they reached the forgotten cabin. He slid open the door to see it relatively clean with no furniture. It would do. She was clinging on to his hand as they headed to the small village. The feeling of being so heavily relied on as he bought food, a futon, a small chest of drawers, and two kimonos was absolutely smothering. He had never felt so _needed _in his entire life.

Once arriving back at the cabin, Ginko quickly arranged Kingyo's new belongings in her new home. She sat quietly watching him as he laid the futon in the center of the room.

"How old are you Ginko?" she asked.

"Today is my 25th birthday," Ginko said.

She didn't say anything else until he was standing outside, handing her the rest of his money and lighting a cigar.

"I'll be on my way," Ginko said. "Do you remember your way to the village?"

"Yes," she said.

"Good," Ginko said. "That money will last you for about a year believe it or not, but only if you spend it wisely."

"What do I do when all the money runs out?" Kingyo asked.

"I'll be back in exactly a year," Ginko said with a soft smile as he ruffled her hair. "Happy birthday, Kingyo."

"Happy birthday, Ginko," she replied, her eyes welling with tears.

With that final note he began to walk deeper into the forest, wondering where his travels would take him next.

* * *

**So that's chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. Review! God bless!**


	2. Delicate

**So why'd ya fill my sorrows,  
With the words you've borrowed,  
From the only place you've known?  
And why'd ya sing Hallelujah,  
If it means nothing to ya?  
Why'd ya sing with me at all?**

**- Delicate by Damien Rice**

* * *

In all honesty he expected her to be dead. He barely knew her but what he knew was enough to determine her ditsy and forgetful manners. But she was alive and taking a nap in the futon he had bought her exactly one year ago.

Not wanting to disturb her, he sat outside on the small porch smoking and watching small flower-shaped Mushi swim through the air. Coming back to this small cabin was something he didn't think he would do. The girl would be fine. The villagers were kind. She had money and a pretty face.

There was just _something _that led him back though. He hadn't made an official promise to her, but for some reason it felt like he had.

A small moan interrupted his thoughts as he glanced back at Kingyo. She was stirring, her amber eyes blinking; golden hair sprawled out around her head giving her an angelic look. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her eyes and looked around. She had to double take when she saw him.

"Sleep well?" he asked, standing and walking into her room.

"Ginko?" she asked with what sounded like utter disbelief. "You really came back?"

"Of course," he said, sitting down next to her and opening up his pack. "I brought you a birthday present as well."

"I didn't get you anything," Kingyo said, looking at her hands. "Sorry."

He shrugged, taking out the poorly wrapped package and placing it in her lap. She looked at it uncertainly, turning it over in her small hands.

"Go ahead," he coaxed. "Open it."

She was bad at hiding her excitement. He watched with a barely visible smile as she ripped open the paper to reveal a furisode kimono. It was a rare buy since it was one of a kind and made with real silk. Dark blue with a star and moon print, it was beautiful.

Kingyo seemed at an utter loss for words, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as she ran her hands hastily over the silky material.

"It's so pretty," she breathed as she stood up, holding it out in front of her. "Is it really for me?"

"All yours," he confirmed. "So, how have you been this past year?"

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, beaming at him.

"How so?" Ginko inquired as she disappeared behind a privacy screen that she must have gotten within the year they had been apart.

"I visit the village every day and everyone is so nice there," she said as the yukata she had been wearing was tossed over the screen. "Sometimes they even give me food for free!"

Not surprising, but she sounded so excited about it he decided not to burst her bubble by explaining that some people would take advantage of her good looks.

"Have you had a good day so far?" he asked, taking a drag of his cigar.

"All I've done is gone to the village to take a bath in one of the bath houses then come back here to take a nap," Kingyo said.

"Sounds nice," Ginko said.

He had been walking all throughout the night just to make it here and the thought of taking a nap sounded highly appealing. She didn't reply for a while so Ginko leaned back on his arms and continued to watch the Mushi that were floating around her cabin.

It was strange that a girl who had been saved by a Mushi only attracted the harmless ones. It was also strange that she couldn't see the Mushi. Well he didn't know that for certain, but with her personality she would have asked him about them a year earlier when she had started to trust him.

Slowly he went from leaning on his arms to just lying on the floor, his cigar lazily poking out of the side of his mouth. He was on the verge of sleep when the sound of dripping honey, spring nights, blooming flowers, and everything good and beautiful in the world drifted to his ears.

He had almost forgotten how absolutely enchanting her voice was since she spent most of her time talking quickly with much excitement. His green eye shut instantly as her voice all but soothed him into a deep sleep. It was some meaningless lyric, a string of no meaning words being tied loosely together and strung over his head.

How on Earth did this little girl exist? A girl with the voice of an angel with golden hair and bright curiosity. She was perfection personified and as he drifted in his sleep he continued to think of all of her good traits. He was so overwhelmed by the sheer number of those traits that his mind started to think of ways to _break_ her.

Such beauty and perfection deserved to be plucked from the ground and studied and inspected. It needed to be crushed and burned. It was insulting to all of the imperfect things in the world. How dare she look down on the rest of the world. Sure it was scum compared to her, but what right did she have? He wanted to rip her open, to watch her bleed, to-.

Ginko sat quickly upright. Sweat was dripping from his forehead as the images of Kingyo lying in a pool of blood continued to blink into his mind. Catching the breath he didn't know had gotten away from him, Ginko looked around the small cabin to see it empty.

The porch door was open and the night sky filled the view from the room. How long had he slept? Standing up, he walked out on to the porch to see Kingyo sitting on the worn wood looking out into the dark vast of trees. The kimono fit her perfectly and he made a mental note of getting her more things in dark blue.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep," he apologized, joining her on the porch.

She gave an almost comical lurch as she quickly turned her head to face him. Clutching at her chest, she looked like she was about to slap him.

"Ginko!" she exclaimed. "You startled me."

"You don't say," he smirked. "The kimono looks good."

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered, still clutching her chest.

He gave a shrug of his shoulders as he looked on into the trees and then up into the night sky. The real thing was much more beautiful than the print on her kimono. They sat in silence for a while, both looking up at the night sky.

There was no telling what she was thinking of, but his thoughts were occupied by his strange dream. Why would he want to see her hurt like that? Bleeding and sprawled out on the floor broken, into tiny bits. That image was playing with his head more than he liked. For some reason he couldn't help but think she looked even more so like an angel in that horrific situation.

"Are you leaving soon?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah," he said.

"When?" she asked.

"Now," he replied and with that word he stood and grabbed his pack from the cabin.

Walking back on to the porch, he tried not to look at the terrible sadness being portrayed so clearly on her face. He wordlessly opened his pack and took out a bag of coins.

"Told you I would have more," he said, holding it out in front of her, feeling strangely like a parent giving their child money to buy candy or a new toy.

After a long pause Kingyo took the bag from his grasp and squeezed her pale fingers around it.

"Happy birthday, Kingyo," Ginko said, patting her shoulder and stepping off the porch.

"Happy birthday, Ginko," she said after him, her voice clear and melodic.

Walking deeper into the dark forest, Ginko waved his hand over his shoulder even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it.

* * *

**Another chapter done. Review! God bless!**


	3. Let the Rain

**I want to let the rain come down,  
Make a brand new ground.  
Let the rain come down,  
Let the rain come down,  
Make a brand new ground.  
Let the rain come down tonight.**

**-Let the Rain by Sara Bareilles**

* * *

Rain fell in what appeared to be the thinnest of sheets, slashing down across the lonely cabin in the autumn-hued forest. Kingyo sat peacefully on the porch with a cup of steaming tea in her hands, her golden waves tied back with a cheap ribbon. Despite the distractions of rain, tea, and ribbon Kingyo started to feel a bit peeved.

Peeved because he was late.

Over the 2 years of knowing Ginko she didn't actually _know _Ginko. She had known of his existence for 2 years, but it felt like she had only known him for 2 days. She knew his name, age, birthday, and that he had a lot of money. This was barely anything to go on. Being only 11 years-old though, Kingyo thought nothing of their strange relationship and continued to fume quietly on her porch over his unforgivable tardiness.

Completely unaware of Kingyo's vivid inner monologue, Ginko voyaged through a shallow patch of trees in the forest he was traveling through. The money he would use to buy Kingyo's 11th birthday present with was in a pouch clasped tightly in his hand. He knew he was running late but he should arrive before it got dark.

Finally pushing through the thicket of trees, Ginko peered down at a small village down the hill he was currently standing on. How was it that one little girl had the power to have his thoughts so occupied? He was heading toward the town with only one thing on his mind, Kingyo. Usually he would think of Mushi or where the best place to rest for the night would be or maybe even his past, but now Kingyo seemed to be the only thing worth thinking about.

After a few minutes of walking, Ginko finally came to the village. It was small, but well-kept and he got a few hellos from the citizens. Soon he came across a small stand that had different necklaces, bracelets, and other assortments of jewelry and accessories. He was no good at this kind of thing and the saleswoman called him out immediately.

"A gift for a lady?" she asked, her brown eyes sparkling.

"More like a girl," Ginko said, his eye scanning the goods for sale.

"A relative?" she inquired.

He thought about saying no, but his relationship wasn't exactly _normal _so he thought it best to keep that to himself.

"Yes," he replied. "A birthday present for my niece."

Saying that she was his little sister would have been easy. It felt wrong to say that she was so closely related to him though. After all of those damn dreams.

"How old is she turning?" the saleswoman pressed.

"Eleven," Ginko answered simply.

The saleswoman nodded to herself before picking up necklace after necklace and examining each closely. Ginko watched her blankly before gazing at a small section on the table. Ornamental hair combs. Kingyo had a lot of hair and sometimes that hair got in her face and tangled and knotted. A comb would keep it in check. At least he thought it would.

He placed his hand on a pearl white comb before picking it up and turning it over in his hands. It was plain, but so plain that it oddly seemed perfect for the flawless Kingyo. Ginko glanced back at the saleswoman to find her attempting to untangle two stubborn necklaces.

"How much for this?" he inquired, holding up the comb.

She walked over to him and took the comb in her hands. After naming her price and Ginko had paid, she wrapped it in thin paper before handing it back to him. He nodded his thanks and stuffed the comb in his pants' pocket before turning around and heading in the way of Kingyo's cabin.

Close to giving up hope of Ginko coming, Kingyo sighed as she finished off her tea and stood up from the worn wooden porch. She slid the door to the porch shut and sat on her futon hearing the rain pound against the roof. Maybe he would come tomorrow or when the weather cleared up.

These seemed like probable ideas, but to Kingyo it was just a disappointment. Her birthday was the best day of the year to her. She got to see her favorite person in the world, enjoy his company, and he always came with a beautiful gift. Granted this was only the third birthday she had shared with him, but it had already felt special.

Well it had felt special when she had woken up. Now she was just sitting on her futon in her dark one room cabin feeling slightly depressed. She was sure there was a plausible explanation.

Without another second's notice, the sliding door leading out to her porch opened and there stood Ginko. His clothes and silver hair were drenched as he walked into the room, sliding the door behind him.

"Hey," he said, shrugging his pack off of his shoulders and sitting on the floor.

Words seemed to fail her. How was it that whenever her thoughts were so occupied with him that he just showed up as casual as can be? He really didn't make any sense to her.

"You're late," she said since it was the first reasonable thing to say that she could think of.

"I know," he countered, taking off his jacket and unbuttoning a few buttons on his shirt. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she said quickly. "I've been… fine."

"Good," he nodded, reaching into his pocket and taking out a small package. "For you."

He handed the package to her and she nodded her thanks. Peeling back the slightly damp wrapping paper Kingyo let a smile form on her gentle features. As if on cue the cheap ribbon that had been holding her hair back snapped and soft waves flew forward to frame her heart-shaped face.

To Kingyo the ribbon had just broken. To Ginko on the other hand a Mushi had swept down from its spot on the ceiling before slicing through the ribbon before floating back upward. He still couldn't get over the strange attraction the Mushi had to her.

All of the Mushi she harbored were perfectly harmless and unless his mind was playing tricks on him the Mushi actually seemed to be _fond _of her. They lived in harmony and countless times he had seen one floating down to perch on her shoulder or just to be near her.

The incredible thing wasn't their adoration for her, but Ginko's jealousy toward them. He wanted to stay with her all of the time. Being by her side for the rest of time seemed so appealing to him, but if he did stay with her it would only end badly. He would end up attracting some Mushi of his own and there was no doubt that they wouldn't be the pleasant kind.

"Thank you," Kingyo gushed, bringing his mind back to the present.

"Sure," he shrugged, standing up and taking his pack from the floor.

The look of raw disappointment almost broke his heart in two.

"You're leaving already?" she asked, her voice once filled with joy now filled with sadness.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I can't stay the night here and it's pouring outside. I need to find a place to stay."

It was silent for a bit as he watched her stroke the pearl of the comb. He imagined it breaking in her hands and himself taking a half of it. Of him driving it straight into her heart and giving a sharp twist. Damn her perfection, damn it straight to-.

He clutched his head in his hand and gave a low groan. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he want to destroy her? Why did he want to see her cry in pain? Why did he want to see her writhing beneath him as-?

_Stop_.

He placed the straps of his pack on his shoulders as sweat trickled down his neck. He was sick. Disgusted with himself.

"Happy birthday," he managed to choke out as he slid the door open.

"Happy birthday," she said with sadness he couldn't see.

As soon as he was a safe distance from the cabin he stood under a small patch of trees as he got on all fours and emptied the contents of his stomach in the rich soil.

What was she turning him into?

* * *

**And the story begins to take a darker turn. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review! God Bless!**


	4. The Mess I Made

**Should've held my ground,  
I could've been redeemed.  
For every second chance,  
That changed its mind on me.  
I should've spoken up,  
I should've proudly claimed,  
That oh my head's to blame,  
For all my heart's mistakes.**

**- The Mess I Made by Parachute**

* * *

"So how old are you turning today, Kingyo?" the old lady who ran the vegetable stand in the market asked, filling a basket with carrots.

"Twelve," Kingyo said, smiling as she reached for a head of cabbage.

Did Ginko like cabbage? Did Ginko like vegetables? Did he even like _eating_?

These were all pondering questions to Kingyo as she examined some local vegetables displayed prominently in the front of the stand. She picked up a rather plump daikon and looked back the old lady.

"Are daikons even in season now?" Kingyo asked, pointing to the radish in her hand.

"They're _always _in season, dear," she said with a knowing smile. "So, any plans for your birthday?"

Despite feeling skeptical of the supposedly all-season daikon, Kingyo tilted her head to the side to think of her plans. She woke before it was even light outside to get dressed in the furisode kimono she had received from Ginko two years prior. To her dismay though the kimono no longer fit so she had opted for a burgundy kimono she had bought a while ago.

After slipping her pearl comb into her hair, Kingyo had taken the half hour walk to the village. Now at the vegetable stand Kingyo was about to use the last of the money Ginko had given her.

"Um, a friend is coming over sometime today," Kingyo replied, placing a few carrots into her shopping basket along with a small head of cabbage and a daikon. "I'm making soup."

"You're making your friend dinner on your own birthday?" the woman asked, examining Kingyo's purchases and claiming a price.

"It's his birthday too and I've never gotten him anything before," Kingyo explained, paying the woman.

The woman gave a small nod as she handed Kingyo the basket filled with vegetables and now a neatly wrapped package.

"What's this?" Kingyo inquired, peeling back the paper of the package.

"Mochi cakes," the woman said. "They're a birthday gift for you and your friend."

Giving an absent minded nod and a thank you, Kingyo headed back towards the exit of the village that led to the forest. She had tasted mochi before and had to admit that she had liked it a lot. It was chewy and sweet and much different from the heaping bowls of rice she usually ate.

Heading into the forest, Kingyo's mind started to drift towards the furisode kimono that no longer fit her. She was growing and that thought scared her and excited her all at the same time. Ginko was 28 years-old today and even if the gap between them would never shrink maybe their relationship would change.

She assumed that it all started out of pity, but to her it felt like they had gotten closer. If only slightly. He treated her like a little sister and she treated him like an older brother. Family had never been a very prominent aspect in her life, but now that Ginko was there she felt like she actually had a family.

It didn't take much longer for her to finally reach her cabin. Ginko was sitting on the porch, an ever present cigar poking out between his lips. He gave a small grin when he saw her and gave a short wave.

"You're early," Kingyo noted, stepping on to the porch and placing her shopping basket on the wooden boards.

"Well I was late last time so I thought it would be best to arrive earlier this time," he said, standing up and taking her basket. "Are you going to cook?"

She nodded. "You always give me such nice things for my birthday I just thought I should return the favor."

Ginko shrugged as he walked into the cabin and waited for her to enter as well before sliding the door shut. He watched her as she unloaded the vegetables and other ingredients before heading to a chest of drawers.

The cabin had expanded not in size but in furniture. As Kingyo busied herself with cooking Ginko took the liberty of looking at all of the new additions. A bigger chest of drawers, several new kimonos and yukatas, cooking utensils, and paintings. The paintings were brightly colored and full of swirling lines in the most familiar shapes.

Very familiar shapes.

Mushi.

"Kingyo," he said to her.

She looked over to him from her spot in front of a large pot that she was currently dropping tofu into. "Yes?"

"Where did you get these paintings?" he asked, tracing an outline of a Mushi's form in one of them.

"I… I painted them," she responded, seemingly flustered by his sudden attention. "They're not very good…"

"Can you see the creatures in your paintings?" he asked, taking a few steps toward her.

"Well, no," she said simply. "I assume they don't exist, but I see them every night in my dreams. Do you see them, Ginko?"

He paused and thought this over. He could tell her everything. Everything that he remembered about himself anyway. It would be so easy for him to confess all of his secrets to her; he practically did it for strangers all the time.

It was different with her though. As far as he knew Kingyo _adored _him. He had saved her from a terrible fate, so it made perfect sense and he wanted nothing but to be close to her. His thoughts about her stopped him from saying anything further though.

How could he tell her that whenever he dreamed about her she was always in a puddle of blood or, more recently, squirming underneath him for the most disgusting reason.

Lately he had become disgusted with himself and all of these thoughts, but he had also come accustomed to pushing them away. They weren't real and he could never hurt her, even if he wanted to.

"No," he lied, only slightly surprised by how natural it sounded to him.

She gave a slow nod before turning back to her pot. While he waited he leaned back on the floor and took a deep drag of his cigar.

"Hey Kingyo," he said softly, watching a few Mushi that were floating through the air of the cabin.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"Would you sing for me?" he asked, looking over at her.

Silence overcame them for a moment before she parted her perfect pink lips and let a song ooze out of them. Her voice had matured slightly. It was richer, but not deeper, still smooth and welcoming. Ginko refused to fall asleep this time as he stood and walked toward his pack.

Opening it up, he took out the present he had bought her almost a month ago. It was wrapping in lilac colored paper upon the fervent request of the shop owner.

"_White is so boring! Girls love a little bit of color!_"

It had cost a little more than the usual white, but to him Kingyo was worth it. She always seemed to be worth everything these days.

Ginko closed his pack before walking over to Kingyo and placing the present next to her. She stopped stirring the soup and looked at him questioningly. He gestured toward the present and she took it without a second to pause.

Unwrapping it carefully Kingyo was almost bursting at the seams. She loved his presents.

It was a small wooden chest with ornate carvings on the side. Kingyo opened the lid to see that the box was empty and all that was inside was polished wood.

"Um, thank you," she said, turning it upside down to see if there was anything stuck to the bottom.

Ginko chuckled. "It's a jewelry box. You're getting older so you're probably going to be buying a lot of jewelry this year."

"But I only have the comb you gave me," Kingyo said, placing the box in her lap and picking up the spoon to stir the soup some more. "Besides I don't like jewelry very much. Why would I wear any?"

"Aren't there boys in the village?" Ginko asked. "You'll be 13 next year and around that age…"

The words that were coming out of his mouth were practically killing him. Other boys? For her? No. She was his.

Wincing, Ginko turned his head and ran a hand through his silver hair. His possessive thoughts were starting to scare him. They were coming more frequently and he was scared that one day he might actually _act _on them.

"I don't like the other boys," Kingyo said softly.

This set him at ease as Kingyo poured soup into two bowls and handed him one. They sat on the porch while they ate in comfortable silence. After eating they talked for a considerable amount of time before the Sun went down and the moon rose.

"I should get going," Ginko said, standing and walking back into the cabin to grab his pack.

"Right," Kingyo agreed sadly.

He stepped off of the porch and took a pouch of money out of his pocket and offered it to her. Kingyo took the pouch with a nod.

"Happy birthday, Kingyo," he said, gazing into her amber eyes.

"Happy birthday, Ginko," she said in response.

With that final note he placed a hand on her head and ruffled her golden locks. She watched him walk away, her fingers already crossed in anticipation for next year.

* * *

**Review! God bless!**


	5. Afterglow

**And if you could see what's come over me,  
Then you would know.  
'Cause I'm walking free,  
The wind at my back,  
Bathed in afterglow.**

**- Afterglow by Vanessa Carlton**

* * *

Turning 13 felt like a rite of passage of sorts. Kingyo was finally going to be in the teens. She was excited to say the least as she got out of her futon. It was also the fourth year she'd known Ginko. Her face flushed at the thought of him and her heart galloped in response.

Now that she was a little bit older she had gotten over the entire "boys are gross" ordeal and had finally started to think of guys as attractive. There were a few older boys in her village. They were immature though and always looked her up and down with dirty looks as she walked past them in the market.

Her heart had settled on a much older boy though. Well he wasn't a boy, but a man. Her savior, her everything. She was in love with Ginko and nothing hurt worse than the fact that he would never feel the same way. Never.

She was 16 years his junior and an extremely awkward looking girl. Kingyo stood out like a sore thumb in a crowd. Her hair and eye color drew attention like no other and she couldn't help but feel like an animal in a cage. Everyone would stare at her as she walked by. Maybe if her hair was darker people wouldn't look at her so much.

Ginko had never looked at her with the hunger that was ever so present in other men's eyes. She was scared of all of those men. It probably had something to do with the being kidnapped and touched. She had been touched too many times.

Placing her face in her hands, Kingyo took a deep breath. It had never gone too far, they had always stopped before it was too late. It was also still so clear in her mind though. Hot breath, sweaty palms, scruffy cheeks. She shuddered under her thin yukata as she choked back a sob.

She felt so tainted. So impure. Why Ginko would give a second thought to her completely bewildered her. He probably saw her as a liability. Or maybe he saw her the same as all of those men prior. Maybe he was waiting until she was older until he would take everything she had to offer away from her.

These thoughts were making her dizzy as she looked up to the ceiling. What would he do if she ran? Would he come looking for her or just forget about her entirely? What did he really think of her?

Their entire relationship was just one long string of unanswered questions and she wondered if she should ask him these questions.

She thought it best not to since if he really did just want her for when she was older then he might not even wait until she was older and just commit the act right then and there. Shuddering at the thought, Kingyo didn't even bother walking behind her privacy screen as she untied her yukata and slipped it off.

This was a bad idea.

The first thing she heard as the yukata fluttered to the ground was an all too familiar voice.

"Shit," Ginko muttered.

Kingyo whipped her head around to see Ginko standing on the porch, the sliding door barely open. His eyes weren't on her face, but on her breasts that she hadn't covered.

She didn't need a mirror to know that her face was a violent shade of red. Quickly, Kingyo grabbed the fallen yukata from the ground and wrapped it around her awkwardly. Ginko quickly shut the sliding door and all but collapsed on the porch.

Since when did she gain the figure of a young woman? She was a perfect hourglass and only 13 years-old.

He wanted to hit himself for even thinking of her body. He was 29 and getting turned on by a bare 13 year-old girl. It was difficult to even come back this year since his thoughts were becoming even more dangerous. Now with these new visuals to add to his "arsenal" he felt even more disgusted with himself.

"Um, Ginko," Kingyo's voice said from behind the thin wooden door. "You can come in now."

"All right," he said, standing up and sliding open the door.

Kingyo stood there looking nervous with a beautifully flushed face and wearing a green kimono.

"Hello," she said, avoiding his eyes and walking toward the center of the room.

Ginko nodded in response as he took his pack off of his back and opened it up. He took the unwrapped present into his hand and held it out to her.

"Here," he said as she took it in her hands. "Whenever you want to tell me something, send it using that."

Kingyo looked at the small white egg with confusion etched across her features. "How do I do that?"

"Write me a letter and put it through the hole that's under that flap," Ginko said, walking towards her and pointing towards the flap. "Just pull that back and stick the letter in there."

She stood in awe for a few moments, looking the egg over and over before heading towards her chest of drawers. Ginko watched as she pulled out the middle drawer and took the jewelry box he had given her last year out of it. She opened the box and gingerly placed the egg inside.

"Thank you," she said softly, placing the box back into her chest of drawers.

Ginko shrugged in response. "So, what's for lunch?"

Turning back to face him, Kingyo smiled in response. While she was getting lunch ready Ginko had fallen asleep on top of her futon. He was drained from traveling and the smell of Kingyo's cooking and the comfort of her futon soon had him drifting to sleep.

In his dream she was older. Not by much, but enough for her to drive him insane. He could never remember losing his composure, but this dream was different. He was forceful, hard, and completely unpleasant. Dream Kingyo kept telling him to stop, but he couldn't. She was just too damn beautiful.

He would ravage her mouth and memorize every square inch of her body before making her his completely. It was disgusting, dirty, and_ wrong_. Despite all of these blatantly true things though he had never felt anything that good.

His dream ended soon enough and he woke up with a damp cloth on his forehead and feather light fingers brushing through his hair. Ginko opened his one eye to see Kingyo peering down at him with an expression on her face he couldn't place.

Okay, that was a lie.

He could place it.

Believing it would be impossible though.

She was looking at him with the purest form of love in her eyes. His head was resting in her lap and it didn't take him two more seconds to realize that she was peering curiously into his now open empty eye socket.

"How did that happen?" she asked.

He gave an involuntary groan at the smoothness of her voice. _Dammit, Ginko she's 13. You're 29. Stop this._

"It's a long story," he said, sitting up and turning to face her.

"We've got time," she said simply.

Ginko looked outside surprised to see that it was still light outside. Taking a deep breath, Ginko began to recall everything he could remember. From how he had acquired his silver hair and green eye all the way to the different Mushi he had come across. He continued easily, telling her that he attracted the worse kind of Mushi if he stayed in one place for too long.

He finished his lengthy explanation with his suspicions of a Mushi being the one to save her life in the pond and how those creatures that appeared in her dreams where Mushi.

She seemed surprised and shocked and in all honesty he didn't blame her. It was a lot to take in, but she was doing well.

"Do you understand what I just said?" Ginko asked.

"Yeah, I think- I think I do," Kingyo replied. "A Mushi master. I never would have guessed."

"I would have been very surprised if you had guessed," Ginko said. "I should be going now. It's getting dark."

Kingyo looked outside and for once didn't argue this notion. "So, I'll write to you."

"I look forward to it," he said, handing her a pouch of money as always.

She walked him to the porch.

"Happy birthday," he said.

"Happy birthday," she mimicked.

This all seemed like such a familiar routine. That was until Ginko drew her into his arms and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She flushed as he pulled back just as quickly as he had pulled her in.

Stepping off the porch, Ginko waved over his shoulder completely unaware of the absolutely dumbstruck Kingyo.

* * *

**Review! God bless!**


	6. Unfold

**What I can remember,  
Is a lot like water,  
Trickling down a page,  
Of the most beautiful colors.  
I can't quite put my finger down,  
On the moment that I became like this.**

**- Unfold by Marié Digby**

* * *

He didn't come on her 14th birthday. Kingyo watched as the Sun went down and eventually felt herself fall into a peaceful sleep. She woke up the next morning without any proof that he could have possibly been there.

No money, no present, no dirty dishes. Everything was just as she had left it. Instead of crying about the loneliness she felt, Kingyo marched over to her chest of drawers and took out all she needed to write a letter.

As soon as her brush was covered in ink her hand froze above the paper. What would she even write?

_I'm mad at you for not coming. Don't bother coming next year, I don't need you anymore._

She was mad at him, but she also wanted him to come next year and she did need him. Not for money anymore. The old lady who ran the produce section in the market was looking for a part-timer and when Kingyo had offered her services the woman was more than happy to oblige.

Life was comfortable, life was good, and life was _boring_. Well it wasn't boring when Ginko was with her. The only thing Ginko did was fascinate her. The letters he sent were short in length but she could always count on one every week though.

His place in her life didn't feel like some odd occurrence anymore, but rather breathing. So when she had waited all day yesterday for him to show up and he never did it felt like her breath had been stolen away. Breathing didn't seem natural, she had to think about breathing and since when did anyone have to think about that?

Standing up, Kingyo put the paper, brush, and ink back in her chest of drawers. It didn't take her long to get dressed and ready for a day working at the produce stand. Her hair was brushed and a dark blue yukata adorned her ever growing body.

The produce lady always took note to compliment her looks. She would always lean towards Kingyo to tell her that she was the most beautiful thing the village had ever seen. It was a hard thing to swallow, but Kingyo found that the old lady was kind of right. Kingyo was getting closer and closer to marriageable age and the looks and glances men sent her way never went unnoticed.

She was beautiful and there was no point in denying it.

Before leaving for the village that morning, Kingyo looked back at her chest of drawers. On top was the pearl comb Ginko had given her two years ago. There wasn't a day that went by where Kingyo hadn't worn it. Today would be the first. If he didn't come to visit her then why should she wear something of his?

Once arriving upon the produce stand, the old lady put Kingyo straight to work. Straight to work in the vegetable fields. They were running low on variety so every once in a while Kingyo would be sent to pick vegetables.

Taking a heavy wicker basket from the woman, Kingyo headed to the outskirts of the village to the fields. It hadn't been thirty minutes of picking and examining vegetables that it started to rain. As if the day hadn't already started off rotten.

Despite the rain Kingyo pressed on for a few more minutes until she heard a voice call out to her.

"Kingyo!" the voice shouted.

Kingyo turned around to see one of the village's local boys walking towards her. Everyone told her that he was madly in love with Kingyo, but she just brushed it aside. She already had Ginko. Well, at least she used to have Ginko.

"You should come back to the village," he said once he got closer.

She could make out his dark eyes and hair now. So different from silver and green.

"I'm almost finished," Kingyo said, reaching for a plant when his large hand clamped over hers.

"You do know how I feel about you, right?" he asked.

"Ye-Yes," Kingyo replied.

"Marry me," he said. "I'll take care of you. You'll always be happy."

The decline was right on her lips when his mouth was pressed roughly against hers. The wicker basket dropped from her hands and her back was flatten against the now muddy soil.

"I just really _want _you, my little goldfish," he hissed in her ear as he shoved her yukata up her thighs.

The only thing she focused on in her mind as her body screamed in agony was the pearl comb sitting on her chest of drawers.

* * *

Ginko let out a hearty sneeze as he walked through the thick forest. It was unbearably sunny that day and the trees weren't doing anything to tame the harsh, natural light.

He hadn't visited her this year. She was quickly coming to a marriageable age and it was driving him crazy. Even though soon he would be able to claim her without feeling ridiculously guilty, guilt would probably still ebb away on him. Kingyo had easily come into his life at the age of nine and claiming her when she was just a bit older seemed indecent.

Soon Ginko could see the familiar house in the distance. One of the few places he had come to know on a more personal level. Once reaching the house, Ginko didn't even bother knocking as he slid the wooden door open.

Adashino seemed startled at first, but soon calmed once he realized who his visitor was.

"Ginko," the doctor said. "I wasn't exactly expecting you."

"Yeah, well here I am," Ginko shrugged, kicking off his shoes and walking into the house.

"Do you have anything for me?" Adashino asked, looking at Ginko's pack expectedly.

Ginko shook his head and sat down in front of Adashino. "I have something I want to ask you."

If Adashino wasn't interested before, he was now. Ginko rarely ever asked him questions. Adashino was just a doctor, not a Mushi master like Ginko, so if there was something bothering him then it must be a personal matter.

"All right," Adashino said warily. "What is it?"

"There's this girl-," Ginko started.

"Wait," the doctor interjected. "You and a girl. As in female. As in you having a _relationship _with this-."

"She's fourteen," Ginko said dryly, taking a drag from his cigar.

It took a moment for Adashino to let this information sink in. "So, you're looking after her like a parent or something?"

"At first…" Ginko replied, wincing at the expression on Adashino's face.

"No," Adashino said quickly, holding up a hand in protest. "_No_."

"I'm not a dog, Adashino," Ginko groaned.

Adashino took to ignoring this comment. "You're having a romantic relationship with a fourteen year-old? What are you- 35 years-old?"

"I'm 30," Ginko replied, already regretting his decision of bringing this topic up.

A sickly shade of green slowly crept on to the doctor's face as he cradled his head in his hand. To him Ginko was some kind of monk. Ginko having relationships of any sort with a woman completely bewildered him. A fourteen year-old though? That was just sick.

"I've known her since she was nine," Ginko supplied since Adashino still hadn't said anything.

"Not helping!" Adashino said, running a hand through his hair. "If anything that makes it worse."

The two men sat in silence for a while as each took in new information. Ginko was already regretting coming here. He knew Adashino wouldn't understand. Even though Adashino was on the side of reason Ginko still wanted to believe that there was hope for him and Kingyo. Maybe when she got older and she was actually capable of reciprocating his feelings everything would turn out just fine.

Adashino on the other hand was still stunned by Ginko bringing up this so quickly. Whenever Ginko visited it always had something to do with Mushi. The only personal information Ginko had ever offered him was his name. Now he was all up in arms about some young girl that he could be having _escapades_ with. He would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly disgusted by the whole ordeal.

"Well, girls can be married at the age of sixteen," Adashino said. "So, it's not _too _bad I suppose."

"I can't marry her," Ginko said.

"Of course you can," the doctor supported. "I know you can't stay in the same place for too long, but why don't you just take her with you?"

Ginko contemplated this for a moment before shaking his head. "She deserves better. Someone younger than me. Someone who doesn't know what Mushi are. Anyone but me."

"It's worse than I thought," Adashino said.

"What is?" Ginko inquired.

"You're in love with her," the doctor said simply.

The softest of noises could have easily been heard in that one room. The two men didn't even seem to be breathing as one waited for the others response.

"Yeah," Ginko agreed, taking the cigar out of his mouth and breathing out a fog of thin smoke. "I suppose I am."

Ginko stood and took his pack from the floor before placing it on his shoulders. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Adashino nodded even though he didn't exactly know what he had done to have Ginko thankful.

* * *

**Review! God bless!**


	7. Come Around

**Like sunlight, won't you come and lay a ray down?  
You're the one.  
I could run,  
I could run for the life of me.  
But where would that get me?  
Where would that lead?**

**And I'm a fool for waiting so long…**

**- Come Around by Rosi Golan**

* * *

A long argument had already been dispatched in her mind. She had counters for every possible excuse he could even think of choking out. There would be no warm welcome; she would only make enough food for herself. If he left early then so be it. He had left her all alone last year. Then the next day _that _had happened.

Kingyo shook the memories out of her head. It was over and someone had found them before it had gone too far. It was always stopped before it could go too far.

That event didn't even matter anymore. Her plan was ready to be acted upon the moment he would walk through that thicket of trees. She was stationed on her porch ready to pounce when the trees began to rustle and a head of silver hair poked through.

Standing up, Kingyo placed her hands on her hips and practiced her best angry expression. Nothing he could do or say would make her give him the benefit of the doubt.

That was until she noticed that he was limping as he came upon the porch, and that there was a large red stain on the side of his shirt.

"Hey," he muttered.

Before she could even take an intake of breath Ginko collapsed on the porch with a sickening _thud_.

* * *

"_I just really love you," Ginko said, feeling like the biggest weight in the world had been lifted from his shoulders._

"_I love you too," Kingyo smiled brightly, looking every bit of the nine years she was._

_He grinned in response and was about to say more when she cut him off._

"_So, why did you do this to me?" she asked._

_Blood._

_The most violent shade of red was flooded around her body. Cuts and bruises were everywhere on her porcelain skin. The blood was most apparent on her thighs. His stomach twisted as he quickly stood up to run away._

_He couldn't stand to see her like that._

"_Ginko," her voice was more mature, seductive, alluring and it rooted him to the spot in a whirlwind of desire. "Why did you do this to me? I never asked for this."_

"_I'm sorry," he said._

_This did nothing though as he feel deep into water. Silver fish with just one eye a piece swam around him but then quickly darted away as darkness seeped into the water._

_He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. The Tokoyami would consume him entirely this time. _

_A small golden fish twisted and turned in front of him. The darkness retracted and he was saved. Looking at the fish, Ginko thought it would be best to say his thanks for saving him when it spoke instead._

"_Ginko!" the fish cried. "Please, please wake up. I don't care that you didn't come last year! I just need you to wake up. Please."_

* * *

"Please!" Kingyo cried as she continued to apply pressure to his newly cleaned out wound. "I love you so much, don't leave me."

Ginko let out a steady groan as he opened his eye. Beautiful 15 year-old Kingyo was crying for him. Forgiving him. _Confessing _to him.

She _loved _him.

"Kingyo," he choked out, letting his eye focus on her. "What did you just say?"

Her amber eyes widened in surprise and relief as she flung her arms around him. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…"

She kept repeating it over and over again as he slowly brought a hand up to her golden hair. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. It filled him up with hope and light as she kept him firmly in her arms.

"I love you too," he breathed on to her slender neck.

She pulled away and he wiped her tear-filled eyes with his thumbs.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Somebody didn't want their Mushi to get taken care of," he said simply, lying back down on her futon. "I don't really want to go into detail about it."

"That's fine," Kingyo complied, taking his hand in hers. "I was just so ready to yell at you. So ready to argue. So ready for you to not come at all."

"I'm here now," Ginko said, stroking her forearm.

They stayed like that for a while. Each of them replaying the events of what just happened in their heads one thousand different times. Both were completely bewildered at the sudden confession they had just received.

"Ginko," Kingyo said softly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm engaged."

He drew his hand away from her quickly as if the thought of touching her burned him. Sitting up quickly, Ginko felt the pain in his side return but paid it no mind. He cupped Kingyo's cheek with his bare hand and tilted her face to look at him.

"To whom?" he asked, trying to keep his voice in check.

"A boy in the village," Kingyo replied. "Everyone just assumed we were engaged when they found him…"

"What happened?" Ginko asked with an emotion in his voice Kingyo had never heard from him before.

She looked down and shook her head.

"Dammit Kingyo!" Ginko shouted, banging his fist on the floor. "What did he do to you?"

"I was picking vegetables and he just started to touch me," Kingyo cried. "Someone found us before it was too late. We're getting married next month and there's nothing I can do."

She was all out sobbing now. Clutching on to his chest and shaking uncontrollably, Ginko had never seen her so defenseless. So close to imperfection. Ginko stood quickly but staggered to the side.

Despite being able to heal quickly his wound was still giving him trouble.

"Where is he?" Ginko asked, scooping his ruined shirt up from the floor and slipping it back on. "I'll set him straight."

"No," Kingyo said. "You're still hurt. I'm just a little helpless girl to you. Helping me is useless."

"Did you not hear me before?" Ginko asked, walking toward the porch. "I love you. I'm not going to let some other man have you. Especially when you don't want him."

Kingyo was almost positive that this was a dream. Ginko loves her? _Wake up, Kingyo. This is all just a dream._

It wasn't though and Kingyo was shrieking at the top of her lungs when Ginko staggered off of the porch and toward the path to the village.

Yelling didn't seem to do anything though so Kingyo took a chance and ran after him. She pushed through a thicket of trees and when she came close to him she wrapped her arms around him.

She had never realized how tall he was until that moment. Her face was pressed against his back as her hands laid flat against his chest.

"Just stay," she murmured. "I'm not going to marry him. You're hurt. Stay."

Ginko found these words convincing. Especially with her body pressed so closely to his.

Turning around, he looked down to her perfect face. This was actually happening. This was real. This was now.

"Why didn't you come last year?" Kingyo asked softly, all arguments and anger forgotten.

"I knew I would do something stupid," Ginko said, placing his hand on the slope of her neck.

"Like what?" she asked.

Right now so close to his object of desire Ginko felt his brain fog over. All that was right and reasonable fled from his mind as he angled his head to the side. His arm wrapped around her slim waist as he pulled her closer to him.

Her amber eyes widened when she felt him against her. Wanting, needing, desiring. She felt it all and a gasp almost fell from her lips when he took it from her with his own.

Time was no object anymore. Space most definitely wasn't. It was hardly romantic or innocent.

Ginko pressed himself against her even more and let a growl in the back of his throat rumble at the sheer friction. They were so damn close yet so ridiculously far apart.

Just when he was about to deepen the kiss even further Kingyo placed her hands on his chest and pushed with as much force as she could muster.

"No," Kingyo said, her face flushed. "_No_."

"I'm not a dog, Kingyo," Ginko groaned, feeling that this conversation was taking a familiar turn.

"If you love me," she said. "You will wait for me."

"Wait until when?" Ginko asked.

"Until I have this whole marriage ordeal worked out," Kingyo said. "Until I have _this thing _worked out."

They stood there in silence for a moment before Ginko turned on his heel and headed back toward the cabin. Kingyo followed and once there Ginko took his pack, left a pouch of money, and stepped off of the porch.

"Happy birthday," Ginko said.

"Happy birthday," Kingyo replied.

Once he was far out of sight Kingyo allowed herself to collapse on the porch. Her knees had been feeling weak since he first arrived.

* * *

**Review! God bless!**


	8. Sweet and Low

**Last chapter! If you've been with this story from the beginning, thank you so much! Enjoy! **

**Anywhere you go, anyone you meet,  
Remember that your eyes can be your enemies.  
I said, well hell is so close,  
And heaven's out of reach.  
I ain't giving up quite yet;  
I've got too much to lose.**

**- Sweet and Low by Augustana**

* * *

Returning to that cabin in the forest seemed terrifying to him. The thought itself was absolutely petrifying. What would he do when he saw her again? Greet her like usual with a "hey" and a grin? There was no way he could do that.

He didn't _want _to do that. The thing he wanted to do above all else was to wrap his arms around her and kiss every single part of her body. He wanted to smolder her and bruise her with every passionate movement he could muster.

It didn't seem right though. In all of the time they had known each other there had only been one moment where it could have even been called romantic and she had ended it by turning him down.

The other thing that was tugging at him was that she could be married now. What if she hadn't been successful in turning the boy down? What if she was pregnant and madly in love?

Several scenarios kept swimming around in his head as Ginko walked the familiar path to the cabin in the forest. No matter what happened he was going to see her. Married or not. Pregnant or not. Still in love with him or not. No doubts were in his mind in that one moment. He was going to see her.

Pushing past the thicket of trees, Ginko finally came across the all too familiar cabin. He took a moment to look at it in its entirety. It was small but the perfect size for one little girl. One little girl that for some reason he couldn't imagine his life without.

Ginko stepped on to the porch, kicked off his shoes, and shrugged his pack off of his shoulders with practiced ease. Sliding the door open the first thing he saw in the spacious room was Kingyo.

Sixteen years-old and heartbreakingly beautiful.

Long golden hair traveled in tumbling waves to her waist and was partially held in place by a pearl comb. A deep blue kimono was wrapped around her body only further amplifying the curves that had grown at her chest and hips.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied with a warm smile.

Taking only a small number of long strides across the wooden floor, Ginko walked towards her and enveloped her in his arms. He inhaled the natural scent from her hair and nearly cursed at the sheer rightness of it.

"Please tell me good news," he pleaded, tangling a hand in her hair.

"I'm not getting married to him," she said, wrapping her arms around his back and placing the side of her head comfortably on his chest.

Ginko's shoulders sagged in relief as he placed a hand behind her neck and tilted her head back. Backing away slightly he got a look at her face and felt that there was bad news accompanying this good news.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The only reason I could get out of marrying him was lying to him," Kingyo said, avoiding his eye and pushing herself out of his arms.

"Kingyo," Ginko said in a steady and warning tone. "What did you tell him?"

"That I belong to someone else," Kingyo said, walking toward her chest of drawers.

"That you're already married?" Ginko inquired.

She shook her head as she placed her hands on top of the chest. There was no way she could face him after telling the boy what she had.

"What did you say, Kingyo?" Ginko asked, fighting all urge to walk over to her and wrap her in his arms once again.

"I can't tell you," Kingyo replied, squeezing her eyes shut.

To say that she was excited to see him was a huge understatement. She loved him with every single fiber of her being and yet she had said such an awful thing. For some reason she even wished that he wasn't there. Gone, so then she wouldn't have to face him anymore.

"Why not?" Ginko pressed and Kingyo heard his feet walking across the wooden floor.

"I don't want you to take on something that has nothing to do with you," Kingyo said. "I wasn't thinking. You should- You should leave. There's nothing you can do here."

"If it's about you, it's about me," Ginko argued, now only inches away from her. "What did you say, Kingyo?"

His presence was thick and heavy and absolutely smoldering. Kingyo shook her head again since she truly thought it was the only move she could make.

"Just leave and never come back," Kingyo whispered. "Please."

She was expecting an argument, a rebuttal of some sort. The last thing she expected was for him to back away, take his pack, put on his shoes, and leave the cabin without another word. That was exactly what he did do though and she stood there for a few more minutes in shock.

Turning around quickly, Kingyo saw that he actually was gone. There was no sign of him in the cabin and no sign that he had even been there to begin with.

* * *

Ginko was pissed.

With shaking hands he lit a cigar as he stormed through the forest. That boy hadn't let her off completely and now she was too scared to tell him the truth. That bastard must have done something to hurt her. To scar her. To taint her.

Now he was going to pay.

Even though Ginko wasn't much of a fighter he was more than prepared to punch this brat right in the face and bring him to apologize to Kingyo on his hands and knees. These pleasant thoughts that were rattling through his head were currently putting him in a better mood.

There was no way in hell someone else was going to marry Kingyo other than-.

Other than whom?

Him?

No, there was no way he could marry Kingyo. She was half his age with her entire life ahead of her. It was true that she deserved better than this lowlife bastard, but she also deserved better than _him_ as well.

Shaking these thoughts from his mind, Ginko continued to storm through the forest. A list of priorities was already being made in his head. Locate bastard, punch bastard in face, threaten and/or blackmail bastard, go back to Kingyo, apologize to Kingyo, and then leave Kingyo for good.

Going back to that cabin every year had always been amazing beyond belief, but he couldn't go anymore. Because if he went, there was no way he would be able to stop himself next time and going back there this time already seemed like a gamble.

After another 15 minutes of traveling, Ginko finally came across the village in full-on surveying mode when he realized something. He didn't know what this guy looked like or his name. The only thing he knew was that this kid was going to marry Kingyo if he didn't do anything to stop him.

Realizing that going back to Kingyo for information was pointless, Ginko decided to ask around for the young man who would be marrying the blonde beauty who lived in the forest. His first stop was a vegetable stand that an elderly woman was manning.

"Excuse me, miss," Ginko said in greeting as he leaned against the stand.

"Why hello, sir," the woman said, smiling at Ginko. She rarely got any good looking customers and this one looked like a foreigner!

"I would like to ask you something," Ginko continued as he pretended to examine a radish. "Do you know the young man who will be getting married soon? I hear he's getting married to some girl with golden hair or-."

"Oh! You mean him?" the woman asked, pointing in the direction to Ginko's left.

Ginko turned to see a young man, probably just a little older than Kingyo, talking to a few men. He seemed cocky, smug, and arrogant and Ginko slowly felt his blood start to boil.

"That's the one," Ginko gritted out, his hand forming into a fist.

"Well, they're not going to get married if she fails the test," the woman said, rearranging a few baskets on her stand.

"What test?" Ginko asked quickly, looking back to the old woman.

"A virginity test," she said, leaning closer to Ginko, her voice barely above a whisper. "A woman from the village is going up to Kingyo's cabin around nightfall and if she really isn't a virgin then the marriage is off."

Ginko was absolutely dumbfounded by this news. There was no way Kingyo wasn't a virgin. When had she ever had contact with a man other than himself?

Oh fuck.

She was going to be forced into a marriage with some raping bastard.

"The thing is," the woman continued, seemingly oblivious to Ginko's sudden realization. "Is that no one has ever seen Kingyo with another man before. Everyone is positive that she's a virgin, so that means there's going to be a wedding soon."

"Thank you for your help," Ginko said, surprised that he could choke out that much.

The woman gave a nod that went unnoticed by Ginko as he headed toward the man who would be marrying Kingyo. That is unless she lost her virginity by nightfall which was highly unlikely. Unless he-.

Unless he what?

There was no way Ginko could take something so precious like that away from her especially under these circumstances. He wanted to. He _really _wanted to.

As Ginko became closer and closer to the bastard he felt himself being pulled in another direction. The direction of the cabin he had become so accustomed to.

Stopping right between the bastard and the cabin, Ginko took a drag of his cigar. He was in some deep shit and none of this was technically even his problem. There was probably an hour until nightfall and it was about a half hour walk to the cabin. He could make it in time.

Should he go though? No. Did he want to go? More than anything. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to come on to Kingyo this was it and he would be an idiot to ignore it.

Giving the bastard one final look Ginko hiked his pack up on his shoulders and heading toward the exit of the village.

* * *

The sun was already started to go down when Ginko finally arrived at the cabin thanks to an impromptu bathroom break and a few times of heading back to the village only to turn back around. Walking up to the porch, Ginko kicked off his shoes and let his pack fall on to the wood.

Sliding the door back that time felt like it would the last time he ever would as he stepped into the almost dark room.

Sitting in the middle of the floor with her back to him was Kingyo.

"Um, I'm sorry you came all this way," Kingyo said, her voice small and meek. "I'm still a-."

"A virgin?" Ginko asked. "Yeah, I thought so."

Kingyo turned around quickly and Ginko felt his heart break at the sight of her swollen eyes.

"Ginko?" she asked. "What are you doing here? I'm expecting someone else."

"I know," he said, closing the door behind him. "The only was for you to get out of your marriage with that bastard is for you to pass some virginity test."

"Then why are you here?" Kingyo asked.

"To make sure you fail it," Ginko responded.

Before Kingyo could even process this new bit of information Ginko already had his arms wrapped around her and his lips on hers. His hands were in her hair as he laid her down on the futon. Her brain was fuzzy and she could barely register what was happening as he moved his lips to her neck.

"G-Ginko," she gasped out as her mind began to slowly clear. "Stop. Don't do this for me."

"I'm not," he replied when his mouth was away from her neck only to place it on her collarbone.

"Not what?" she asked, suppressing a moan as he bit down on her shoulder.

"Not stopping or doing this for you," he said, coming back up to look her in the eyes. "I'm doing this because I want to. This particular situation is just very convenient, that's all."

She honestly didn't have a good argument against that as Ginko untied the obi that was around her waist. Sharply inhaling, Kingyo shut her eyes and moved her head to the side. For some reason this was extremely embarrassing.

"What?" Ginko asked, his voice unusually husky.

"This doesn't feel right," Kingyo confessed, easing her eyes open to look up at him. "I never pictured it being this way."

"So you pictured it?" Ginko asked with a smug look on his face.

Kingyo's face immediately flushed and Ginko gave a low chuckle before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I would be a liar if I said that I hadn't pictured this as well," he said, pressing his forehead against hers and looking into her amber eyes.

"I love you," she said, the words quickly spilling from her lips.

Those words somehow locked in what they were doing. There really was no looking back now. He was completely incapable of stopping.

It took him seconds to get the kimono off of her body and when he did he was heavily tempted not to stare for a good minute or two. Bringing his lips back to hers, he found himself surprised by the fact that she was slowly starting to respond to his advances.

First her lips began to move against his and then her hands were yanking his shirt over his head. Apparently there wasn't a doubt in her mind anymore either. Their movements were quickly becoming blurred together as he rid himself of the rest of his clothing.

More and more time kept passing but Ginko was still completely avoiding the reason for him even coming here in the first place. He was scared.

Give him a thousand flesh-hungry Mushi and he would gladly take them on. Give him a gorgeous sixteen year-old that he was insanely in love with and he felt like a bumbling idiot.

"Ginko," Kingyo managed to breathe out when his lips were detached momentarily from hers.

"I might be a virgin, but I know how this thing works and we're not exactly…" she trailed off.

If she was able to say such a rational thing at a time like this there definitely wasn't much more time left. Giving a lazy nod, Ginko brought his mouth back to hers as they continued their frenzied movements.

He didn't waste any time now and when they finally became one he managed to breathe only a few words into her ear.

"I love you too."

Afterward was awkward, as they both thought it would be. Ginko had already tugged his pants on and Kingyo had worked her way under the covers of her futon. Lighting a cigar from the pack he kept in his pants pocket, Ginko looked back at Kingyo whose face was flushed.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking a deep drag from his cigar.

She gave a slow nod and he could tell that she was receiving all of the mixed signals he was sending her way.

"I don't regret it," Ginko said in response to her confusion. "If it was up to me I would have waited until you were a bit older. But these circumstances required action."

"Thank you," Kingyo said.

For some reason Ginko wasn't even surprised by these words. In a way he had saved her from being in what would probably be a terrible situation.

"Wanna do it again?" Ginko asked, smirking at her.

"What?" Kingyo asked, sitting up slightly only for the blanket to fall into her lap, leaving her chest exposed.

Flushing, Kingyo snatched the blanket up to cover her chest when Ginko's hand rested over hers.

"Don't," he said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and smearing it on the floor before capturing her lips with his.

Wrapping an arm around her naked waist, Ginko pulled her closer to his bare chest as he continued to kiss her long and slow. Her hands were placed on his forearms as she returned his kiss with a rhythm she had become so accustomed to.

Both were completely unaware of the frantic knocks on the door or it sliding open until soft moonlight lit up the room. There was a loud gasp of shock which caused Ginko and Kingyo to pull away from each other in a heartbeat.

Kingyo grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her chest as she and Ginko looked to the open door. A woman Kingyo recognized from the village was standing there looking completely bewildered. Her eyes kept darting from Kingyo to Ginko and back again.

"Kingyo," the woman said after some time. "Who is this?"

"I'm Ginko," Ginko said bluntly.

"Ginko," Kingyo hissed, nudging him in the side and giving him a look.

"What the hell is this?" another voice asked, coming from behind the woman.

The man who was supposed to marry Kingyo stepped into the cabin and rested his eyes on Kingyo. He didn't even seem to notice Ginko as he walked to Kingyo and crouched down beside her.

"I guess I'm too late," the Bastard said with a shrug. "Oh well, we can still tell everyone you were lying. Don't worry, my love. We'll be married within a week."

Ginko would have felt sorry for the Bastard. But since he deserved that sharp slap to the face he couldn't honestly say that he was.

Kingyo was breathing hard, her eyes flashing with anger.

"I will _never _marry you!" Kingyo said, the blanket she had been trying so hard to cover herself with all but forgotten in her lap. "Because I'm… I'm-."

"Marrying me tomorrow," Ginko said before he could stop himself as he wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her close to him.

Everyone including Ginko himself seemed completely baffled by this sudden news.

"Oh, please," the Bastard scoffed. "She belongs to me."

"Actually, no," Ginko said, feeling a smirk working its way to his lips. "She belongs to me. I bought her when she was nine years-old and I just now got what I paid for. Technically she's my property and you marrying her without my consent is illegal. And since I'm never going to give you that consent I'll give you some advice instead."

"What's that?" the Bastard asked meekly.

"Fuck off," Ginko said.

The woman who had arrived earlier was leaning against the door frame as she looked at the scene unfolding before her eyes. The situation seemed helpless. If Kingyo really was this man's property then there really was nothing the young man could do.

The Bastard opened his mouth to make a remark when he noticed the expression on Ginko's face. _Boredom_. Absolute boredom. The Bastard took a deep breath and then gave a curt nod.

"Fine," he said. "I never desired her anyway."

With that final note the Bastard and the village woman left the cabin almost at once. The woman too embarrassed about the predicament she had just seen and the Bastard too surprised by his sudden defeat.

"Well that was anti-climactic," Ginko said, running a hand through his silver hair. "I was expecting to throw a few punches, not for you to smack him right across the face."

Kingyo on the other hand didn't seem to mind the Bastard's sudden departure. In fact, she had rarely even noticed it.

"You really think of me as only your possession?" Kingyo asked.

There were two things Ginko could do at that moment. He could tell her yes and treat her just as badly as the Bastard had. He could leave her broken, but not for long since he had faith she would pull herself together and forget about him eventually. Or he could say no. The honest answer was always the hardest thing to say, wasn't it? If he said no he could keep being with her, but also keep her from living what would probably end up to be a very fulfilling life.

"No," Ginko said, realizing that there was no thinking to be done after all.

He took her silence gratefully as he scooped up his discarded shirt from the floor and offered it to her. Kingyo took the shirt from him and slipped it over her head. It came about mid-thigh on her, only acting as a reminder to Ginko of how small she was. How young she was.

"Are you leaving soon?" Kingyo asked. "You always leave around this time."

"No," he repeated. "We are getting married tomorrow, aren't we? I can't leave now."

"Wait, you were serious about that?" Kingyo asked.

"You believe the part about me thinking of you as my possession, but not wanting to marry you?" Ginko asked with a sigh.

Kingyo gave a slow nod and he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Ginko let out a small chuckle as he cupped her cheek with his hand and angled her face towards his.

"Kingyo, will you marry me tomorrow?" he asked.

She didn't even need a second to respond. "Of course I will."

This time she kissed him and he welcomed it happily.

"Happy birthday, Kingyo," he murmured against her lips when they parted.

"Happy birthday, Ginko," she muttered back.

* * *

Kingyo awoke the next morning feeling extremely hot. She was definitely not used to someone sleeping pressed against her for her an entire night. The funny thing was that she didn't really care.

"Good morning," Ginko breathed on to the back of her neck, his arm wrapped firmly around her.

"Good morning," Kingyo responded, enjoying the foreign way those words felt on her tongue.

Turning around, Kingyo was slightly disappointed to find that Ginko looked the same. She had never seen him on the day after before so she wasn't sure what she was expecting, but to find him lying there looking utterly ordinary was strange.

Ginko didn't waste another precious second as he kissed her and rolled her on to her back. Kingyo sunk into the thin material of her futon as she buried a hand into his silver hair, stroking the back of his scalp.

"We're getting married today," Kingyo said once she managed to pry her lips from his.

"Yeah," Ginko said absentmindedly.

"Regrets?" Kingyo asked.

"Just thinking," Ginko said, shaking his head and sitting up.

"About what?" Kingyo asked, sitting up as well and bringing her knees to her chest.

"You do know that I can't stay here with you all of the time," Ginko said, looking at her.

Kingyo nodded. "I can always go with you."

"But do you want to?" Ginko asked.

Kingyo was more than ready to respond with a fervent yes when something stopped her. Was she ready to travel all across the country to watch as Ginko helped people? She could only see the Mushi in her dreams and for some reason she only saw herself as being a complete burden to Ginko.

"I do," Kingyo said slowly. "But I'll only be a burden to you."

"Impossible," Ginko said with a shake of his head.

The topic was dropped for the remainder of the morning as they both got dressed and Kingyo made breakfast. Afterward Ginko and Kingyo headed towards the village to get married. It sounded so strange. After years of suppressed feelings they were finally doing what had all along been inevitable.

The only other person who attended the ceremony was the old woman who ran the produce stand. She truly was the only person Kingyo could trust in the village and after the ceremony she enveloped Kingyo into a warm hug.

"Congratulations," the woman said, beaming at the newlyweds.

"Thank you, Aina," Kingyo said.

To say the least the events that followed the ceremony were much more thrilling. Kingyo was surprised her cabin was still left standing after they had finally stopped "celebrating". She was once again wearing one of Ginko's shirts as they sat on the porch looking at stars with their arms wrapped around each other.

"I love you," Ginko said, his chin resting snugly on top of her head.

"I love you too," Kingyo responded.

Ginko felt slightly disgusted with himself. After all that had happened over the span of those two days the happiness was starting to wear off and the reality was beginning to sink in. He used to picture her lying broken in pools of blood and now he was having such a beautiful moment with her it almost made him sick.

He could so easily grab her arm and break it like a twig. Bash her head on the side of the porch and watch that delicious red ooze from the opening. Dig his fingernails into her neck. Knee her in the stomach and crush organs, break ribs.

"Ginko?" Kingyo asked, looking up at him with a concerned look on her face.

Looking up at the roof over the porch Ginko saw the Mushi that Kingyo always attracted. He finally understood.

"_Yūgaina shikō_," Ginko breathed.

"Huh?" Kingyo asked arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Ginko said with a shake of his head. "I just recognized a type of Mushi."

Kingyo gave a small nod, still not looking entirely convinced. Ginko was too relieved to care. The Mushi that Kingyo attracted weren't good Mushi. They were the type that made anyone who stayed with their attractor for too long insane with images of killing the attractor.

To know that his own mind hadn't conjured all of those thoughts of Kingyo was the biggest relief he had ever felt in his life. He had also saved her as well. If someone else had married Kingyo they would have been eventually driven over the edge and would have killed her within the first week.

After stargazing for a few more minutes, Ginko and Kingyo went back inside the cabin.

Ginko slid the door shut and turned around to see Kingyo already walking towards the futon. If she honestly thought she was going to get any sleep tonight she was sadly mistaken. In seconds he had walked across the room and lowered her to the wooden floor.

Her golden hair fanned around her head slightly as he bent over her. The look on her face was one of surprise, not panic or fear. Apparently she really had thought she was going to get some sleep tonight.

"You just can't cut me any slack, can you?" she asked.

He gave a small grin as he lowered his face closer to hers. "No way."

* * *

She didn't know what to expect the next day but for some reason she never expected him to not be there. Sitting up quickly, Kingyo held the blanket up to her bare chest as she looked around the lonely cabin.

Wrapping the blanket around her completely, Kingyo slid open the door to find the porch unoccupied except for a small package and a pouch of money. Her knees gave out as she sat in front of the two objects. A present and money. Just like always.

Things really hadn't changed at all.

Kingyo set the money aside and took the package in her hands. She unwrapped it quickly to find a navy blue… thing. It was some kind of piece of clothing. It was one piece with a skirt and something that vaguely resembled the shirts that Ginko wore.

Standing up, Kingyo dropped the blanket from around her and slipped the article of clothing over her head. It was more comfortable than a kimono for sure and Kingyo found the way the skirt fanned out around her every time she turned quite beautiful.

The smile that had appeared on her face soon disappeared though when she realized that Ginko had left her with no note and no goodbye. She would have to wait a year for him to come back and without a goodbye that seemed nearly impossible.

A thought then struck her. Since when did she have to wait for him to say goodbye? Why couldn't she take matters into her own hands and say goodbye to him herself?

Kingyo smiled at her sudden and seemingly genius plan as she bolted back into the cabin to slip on her sandals before darting off of the porch and into the forest. She didn't know where she was going or what direction she was heading in but for some reason she found that she knew she was getting closer to Ginko.

Running through thickets of trees she had never seen, passing ponds she never knew the existence of, and climbing up small hills that could have appeared there overnight without her knowledge, Kingyo had only one thought on her mind, and that was seeing Ginko again.

Soon she was out of the forest and in a small clearing on top of a hill. Finding her way back was the least of her worries though and Kingyo didn't have to walk a step further before seeing Ginko standing a ways away with a smile on his face.

She walked to him instead of running and when she finally reached him she had no idea what to say. So the first thing that came to her mind came tumbling out of her mouth without a second thought.

"What is this called?" Kingyo asked, tugging on her sleeve.

"A dress," Ginko said simply, an ever present cigar poking out of the side of his mouth.

"I really like it," she said. "You should bring me more next time you come."

"Of course," he nodded.

"Why didn't you say goodbye?" Kingyo asked.

"I was hoping you would for a change," Ginko shrugged, looking out into the distance.

Kingyo looked in the same direction and felt herself gasp at the vast beauty of it all. This landscape had been only minutes away from her all of this time and she had never even noticed. Looking out for miles and miles, Kingyo never felt so small in her life. Never before had she realized how small her world was.

"I can't come with you, can I?" Kingyo asked, looking back at Ginko.

"No," Ginko said with a shake of his head. "But I'll promise you something."

"What?" Kingyo asked, taking a step toward him.

"I will remain completely and utterly faithful to you," he said, taking her chin in his hand. "I'll think of you every day. I'll send you letters every day. I will come back to that cabin every single year for the same two days until the day I die."

Kingyo didn't even realize she was crying until the teardrops started to roll down her neck. Taking the cigar out of his mouth, Ginko closed the space between them with a final kiss.

"Goodbye," he said, taking his hand from her chin.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

As he began to walk away Kingyo felt that the goodbye was missing something. A promise on her part.

"I'll wait for you!" she called out.

Ginko turned around to see her standing a considerable distance away. Her hands were folded on her stomach as her golden hair tumbled in the light mid-Autumn breeze.

_It was mid-Autumn when he made an everlasting promise to her, and when she did the same for him._

**The End.**

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading this story! It honestly means the world to me. I would love to hear your feedback, so review! God bless!**

**- Erin aka linksofmemories **


End file.
